WNBA superstar Brittney Griner has been transferred to a Russian penal colony, according to a report from ESPN. Griner's transfer began on Friday, her attorneys said, and they do not know where she is headed.
Since being detained on drug charges in February, Griner has spent her time in a Moscow jail. Russian penal colonies are known for having even worse conditions than the jails, according to ESPN, and Griner's attorneys said her family may not know her exact location for weeks.
"Notification is given via official mail and normally takes up to two weeks to be received," Griner's lawyers said, via ESPN.
Griner's transfer began shortly after her appeal was denied on Oct. 25, and the process of transferring a prisoner to a penal colony typically takes weeks or months, according to her legal team. Griner's lawyers and U.S. officials were not made aware of her transfer until Tuesday, several days after it began.
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken issued a strong statement on Griner being transferred to a penal colony.
"Following a sham trial and the unjust sentencing of Brittney Griner, Moscow is transferring her from a prison in Moscow to a remote penal colony," Blinken said. "It is another injustice layered on her ongoing unjust and wrongful detention."
In a statement from White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, the Biden administration said that it would continue to "work tirelessly" to get Griner released from Russia.
Lindsay Kagawa Colas, who is Griner's agent, also released a statement on the situation. She called on people to continue to supporting Griner in any way they possibly can as her team continues to fight for her safe return to the United States.
"Our primary concern continues to be BG's health and well-being," Colas said. "As we work through this very difficult phase of not knowing exactly where BG is or how she is doing, we ask for the public's support in continuing to write letters and express their love and care for her."
